Srinagar: Two militants of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, one of them part of them “part of outfit’s hit squad’, was killed in a gunfight with joint team of Police, army and CRPF in Khrew area of Pampore in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Friday, officials said.
They said acting on a specific information about presence of militants, a joint cordon-and-search-operation was launched by Police, army’s 50RR and 185 battalion CRPF in the area.
During the search operation, a police spokesman said, as the presence of militants got ascertained, they were given repeated opportunities to surrender. However, he said, they fired “indiscriminately” upon the joint search party which was retaliated, leading to an encounter.
In the ensuing gunfight, he said, two militants of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. They have been identified as Musaib Ahmad Bhat of Khrew Pampore and Muzamil Ahmad Rather of Chakoora Pulwama.
As per police records, the spokesman said, Musaib Mushtaq was involved in executing several attacks including killing of a civilian Javid Ahmad Malik (Peon) at Lurgam area of Tral.
“He was part of a hit squad of Hizbul Mujahideen responsible for civilian killing in South Kashmir.” Muzamil Ahmad, he said, had joined militant ranks recently.
“Incriminating materials, arms & ammunition including 01 AK-rifle and 01 pistol were also recovered from the site of encounter,” the spokesman said. He said all the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other militant incidents. (GNS)
